Assassin
by stinichra
Summary: Inspired by "Assassin" by John Mayer, my favorite song from "Battle Studies."


**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show or the characters.  
**Author's Note: **I am absolutely obsessed with "Assassin" right now. I would suggest listening to the song or reading the lyrics before you read the story. But you don't have to! It's clearly all up to you. If there are any mistakes, let me know. I wrote half of this at 3 AM and the rest earlier today.  
**Feb. 2, 2010:** I went through and made some changes/tweaks to the story. It wasn't edited when I posted it before, but I went ahead and posted anyway because I was afraid I'd lose my nerve if I didn't. The changes don't change the essential idea of the story. I just wanted to note that this isn't the version originally posted. :c) Enjoy!

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Before he even opened his eyes, Matt Hunter knew without a doubt that he was now alone in his bed. Although, he could smell her with every single breath he took, he knew she wasn't there. Knew without a doubt that when he finally did open his eyes, he would not be greeted with bright blue eyes gazing at him in the morning light. After all, it wasn't the first time they'd found themselves in this situation. And just like every other time, she had fled before he awoke. Why would today be any different, he asked himself. Why did he keep hoping it might be?

Only once had he awakened before she left. He had felt the comforting weight of her lying against him, her blonde head tucked into his shoulder, one leg over his, one of her arms wrapped around him. A feeling of… rightness washed over him in that moment. That was the morning he realized this thing between them, whatever it was, had gone farther than he'd ever expected.

With a deep breath, he opened his eyes and turned to the side. The indented pillow was the only sign that she had been there at all. Her expensive clothes and designer shoes were gone. The BlackBerry she was addicted to no longer graced his nightstand. One hand reached out to touch the pillow next to him, her pillow, before he pulled it back. Could he be any more pathetic, he thought.

It would have been funny, if it wasn't so damned depressing. Dr. Matt Hunter had gone through his entire adult life without attachments. An absent father and an overworked mother had made him a self sufficient individual. His upbringing made him cautious about trusting others. Beginning in his teen years, he had not depended on anyone but himself. He learned early that the only way he would get through life was to count on himself and no one else. Though he had finally come to include his brother and sister-in-law to those he could trust.

Prior to arriving in Port Charles, Matt had made quite a name for himself. He was always upfront with any woman he was seeing, but some refused to heed the warning. More than a few tried to be the woman to capture him, all of them unsuccessful. He had gone through women easily throughout college and medical school. It seemed there was an endless supply. He concluded that it was the Drake charm that drew women to him, even knowing that he was regarded as a heartbreaker. And after meeting his father Noah Drake, he'd attributed his inability to commit or care to the Drake genes as well. Hell, even Patrick had behaved that way before Robin. But his brother had overcome genetics and built a life that made him truly happy.

Naively, Matt assumed it would never happen to him. He'd only had one remotely serious relationship in his life, if the three month stint with the same woman could even be called that. He figured if it hadn't happened yet, it wouldn't happen. And he was perfectly fine with that.

Until she blew his beliefs, his plans to pieces.

Thinking back on his absolute assurance brought a grim smile to his face. He'd been such a fucking idiot. So sure that he would continue through life as the King of Hearts, the nickname he'd been given before he relocated to Port Charles.

Running a hand through his short brown hair, he climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom to take a shower. He didn't bother looking for a note or anything else that might've been left for him. There would be nothing. There never was.

The chemistry, the attraction had been there from the beginning. On both sides, no matter how much she denied it. The fire between them burned too hot to be one-sided. She had, however, stuck to her guns. Despite his flirting, his suggestions, and flat out propositions, she had not given in. He respected her decision, so he'd backed off. There were plenty of women in the city and he availed himself of several. He found that the Drake charm served him well in PC, too. He continued on in his usual manner, but always on his best behavior in her presence. They became experts at pretending the attraction, the potential for explosive passion didn't simmer between them.

And then everything changed. Matt closed his eyes yet again, head bent under the spray of water, as he remembered.

_They were both at Jake's on a slow night, staying until Coleman practically kicked them out. That night, he'd had a particularly long day at the hospital and wanted to unwind. Knowing he wasn't on schedule to be at work the next day, he headed to Jake's. Of course, he noticed her as soon as she arrived. How could he not? She was impeccably dressed, as usual, in a black and white strapless dress. The dress ended several inches above her knees, making her legs look endless. But he played it cool. They both did. They greeted each other civilly and proceeded to ignore each other for the rest of the night. When Coleman sent them packing, with a reminder not to drive home, Matt headed outside for the cab he'd called even before the warning. It was waiting for him when he exited the bar. As he opened the door, he heard the click of heels behind him._

_"Mind sharing?" she asked._

_Wordlessly, Matt opened the door wide and stepped aside for her to enter. With a brief small smile at him, she climbed into the cab, his eyes glued to those gorgeous legs of hers, and he followed behind her. _

_Her scent surrounded him, enticed him. He kept to his side of the cab and let the driver know his destination. He looked at her, a signal to give the driver the address she was headed to. She looked into Matt's eyes and stated, "What a coincidence. That's where I'm going, too."_

_He met her response with a raised eyebrow. She smirked at him and faced forward, sliding her BlackBerry out of a purple bag and started answering emails. The ride to his apartment was quiet but for the quick tapping of her fingers against the phone's keys. Her fingers moved furiously over the keypad, strands of her blonde hair falling out of its style as she worked. _

_The ride to his home was over quickly. As they neared his residence, she put the phone back in her purse. Matt paid the driver and exited the car, leaving the door open for his companion and holding a hand out to assist her. He felt a surge when she put her hand in his, looking down at her to see if she'd felt it, too. Her blue eyes had darkened at the contact, turning an even deeper shade when he stroked his thumb over her wrist before releasing her. The walk to his apartment was short. Another trip made in silence except for the echo of their steps in the hallway. Once inside, he hung his jacket on the coat rack next to the door. Unsure of exactly what was going on and not wanting to make any assumptions, he turned to face her._

_Matt knew she could see the unasked questions burning in his eyes. He had no idea how long they stood there staring at each other. She moved to stand directly in front of him, her ridiculously high heels raising her petite height several inches. Her eyes were just a couple inches from being level with his. "What exactly are we doing here?" he finally inquired aloud._

_Another step and their bodies were aligned. She slide one hand up his arm, across his shoulder and placed it on the back of his head, her fingers slipping through the strands. With gentle pressure on his neck, she closed the gap between them. "We're finally getting what we both want." The words were spoken against his mouth, causing a slight tremor to run through his body. _

_No longer able to keep from touching her and seeing no reason to try, he moved his hands to either side of her hips. "Is that what this is?" Feeling the shiver that went through her as he voiced his question, he gripped her through the short flared skirt of her dress reflexively. She answered with a nod and a quiet "Yes," then covered his lips with her own in a slow, deep kiss. _

Matt shook the memory from his head. He remembered thinking that night would be the only one. Had indulged in at least half of his fantasies of her until they'd both collapsed, exhausted and satisfied.

He needn't have worried. It was coming up on seven weeks now. Seven weeks of… God, he didn't even know what to call it. He never knew what drove her to him. He suspected that when the pressure of living up to other people's expectations got to be too much, she sought him out. Perhaps she came to him when she felt like her life was suffocating her. He didn't know and doubted he ever would.

Sometimes she would be in his office when he worked late into the night. Other times, she arrived at his apartment at the most random hours. Before the last night, it had been almost a week since he'd seen her. He spent the days wondering if the last time had, without his knowledge, been the _last_ time. But when he'd come home from the hospital that night, she was already in his apartment. He had been shocked to find her there. He had never, not once in his life given a woman a key to his place. But one look at her and he didn't care how she had gotten there, only that she had.

After leaving the shower, Matt came out of the bathroom. Stared at his bed. He could still smell her; the perfume she wore lingered for hours after she left. He'd been a sucker for the smell of her from the very beginning. He'd asked once what it was. _J'adore_, she'd told him. It was one of the few questions she'd actually answered. Anything too personal went unanswered, as she chose instead to respond with fervent kisses, frantic touches. And he let her distract him. He was willing to take any part of her that he could get.

As he dressed and prepared to leave, Matt wondered what had happened to him. He knew the rules. Get in, get what you want, and go. No feelings, no attachments. But somewhere along the way he lost sight of that. Though she certainly hadn't. She would come back and he would be there waiting for her. Every time. He was powerless to end it. On his way out the door, Matt almost laughed at himself. It seemed the King of Hearts had abdicated the throne to the queen – Maxie Jones.

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So, what did you think? Worth the trouble to read it or should I just go ahead and remove it from the site?


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